This application claims the priority of German application 196 34 510.3, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a roof construction for a motor vehicle, particularly for a passenger car, having a dimensionally stable forward roof part which, in a closed operating position, adjoins a windshield frame of the vehicle body, and a dimensionally stable rearward roof part which forms the C-column sections and provided with a rear window. The roof parts are swivellably connected with one another and can be moved by a control mechanism between a lowered inoperative position and a closed operative position. The rearward roof part, in its lowered inoperative position, is swivelled about a horizontal transverse axis such that the rearward ends of the C-column sections, relative to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, are aligned to project toward the front of the vehicle.
The Mercedes-Benz SLK roadsters uses a roof construction which has a forward, dimensionally stable roof shell which, in a closed operative position, is locked to a windshield cross member of the vehicle body. In the longitudinal direction of the vehicle toward the rear, the forward roof part is adjoined by a rearward roof part in the form of a dimensionally stable roof shell which is swivellably connected with the forward roof shell. The rearward roof shell has two C-column sections which laterally flank a rear window. In the area of the lower ends of the C-column sections, the rearward roof shell, swivellably about a vehicle-fixed swivel shaft extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, is disposed such that the rearward roof part is deposited in a lowered inoperative position in a storage space of the motor vehicle. Thereby, the C-column sections of the rearward roof shell project toward the front of the vehicle. The storage space is situated in a rear area of the vehicle body. When the roof construction is lowered, however, only an extremely small space remains for storing transported objects.
It is an object of the invention to provide a roof construction, therefore, to provide an increased storage space in a rear area of the motor vehicle.
This object has been achieved in accordance with the present invention by providing that the C-column sections at least in the lowered inoperative position and at least along a portion of their length, starting from the rearward ends thereof, project freely without any transverse connection. Control devices for forward displacement of the rearward roof part in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle are provided such that the C-column sections in the inoperative position at least partially laterally flank a rear area of the vehicle interior. As a result, the rearward roof part to which the forward roof part is linked, either during the lowering operation or after the lowering into the storage space, is additionally displaced toward the front by a certain amount. Consequently, in the rear area of the passenger car a storage space is available which is enlarged by the forward-displaced path of the roof construction.
Advantageously, the increased space is made available on both sides next to the rear area of the vehicle interior within the vehicle body. In an open (convertible) passenger car, such a space naturally often already exists as the result of a folding top compartment which is U-shaped (as viewed in a top view). Between the lateral end of the rear area of the vehicle interior as well as the body shell of the vehicle body, normally sufficient space will therefore be available in order to be able to displace the C-column sections of the rearward roof part and thus the whole roof construction toward the front. According to the invention, however, the rear window must be arranged between the C-column sections so that, at least in the lowered inoperative position, the C-column sections project freely along a portion of their length.
The foregoing characteristic according to the present invention is achieved either by providing a relatively short rear window which is recessed with respect to the ends of the C-column sections or detachably arranging the rear window on the rearward roof part and separating the rear window in a simple manner from the rearward roof part for the lowered inoperative position. Similarly, the rear window can be constructed along its length in two parts, with only the part situated between the rearward ends of the C-column sections removed or displaced during the lowering into the inoperative position.
Another feature of the present invention is a rear window used as a transverse connection in the area of the lower ends of the C-column sections and separably arranged on the rearward roof part with respect to the C-column sections. In this embodiment, the rear window can be disposed in an articulated manner on the rearward roof part and can be deposited jointly with the roof construction in the rear area of the vehicle body. Thereby, in the deposited inoperative position, the rear window takes up a position which releases the C-column sections. Alternatively, the rear window can be removed from the rearward roof part and can be stored separately with respect to the roof construction in the vehicle.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the rear window is arranged on the rearward roof part while being at least partially recessed with respect to the C-column sections such that the C-column sections project freely along a portion of their length. In closed sports cars, e.g. a Ferrari, the rear window directly adjoins the rear area of the vehicle interior in a steeply upright position and the C-column sections are pulled farther toward the rear with respect to this rear window. The rearward roof part of the current convertible (open) passenger car is designed analogously in that the C-column sections are pulled farther toward the rear over the steeply aligned rear window relative to the closed operative position.
In yet a further embodiment of the present invention, the forward and the rearward roof part can be lowered from their closed operating position by an upper parallelogram linkage. The two lower bearing points of the upper parallelogram linkage are part of a lower guiding arrangement which is fixedly supported on the vehicle body and used as a control device. As a result, the lower bearing points, which are used as the basis, of the parallelogram linkage responsible for the lowering movement of the two roof parts can be displaced in a simple manner toward the front, whereby also the roof construction is displaced toward the front in the lowered inoperative position.
A still further embodiment of the present invention utilizes the lower guiding arrangement as a parallelogram linkage. This is a particularly simple solution for achieving a forward displacement of the roof parts.
Another embodiment of the present invention contemplates the upper and the lower parallelogram linkage being provided on both sides of the roof parts with identical linkage parts to which synchronizing devices are assigned for synchronizing their moving operations. This ensures a particularly good functional reliability of the parallelogram linkages.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, restricted guiding devices are provided between the upper and the lower parallelogram linkage for the synchronous superimposition of the movements of the two parallelogram linkages. Thereby, the time for a lowering operation or for a lifting operation of the roof construction is reduced because the lowering and the forward displacement of the roof construction can take place simultaneously.
In a further aspect of the present invention, a swivel lever arrangement is provided as a restricted guiding device which is applied to the rearward roof part and is fixedly disposed on the vehicle. The mechanically simple configuration permits a long and maintenance-free functional reliability. This feature is an advantage in comparison to other embodiments of the present invention which contemplate a corresponding tension device drive in the form of a chain drive or belt drive as the restricted guiding device. In the latter, a tensioning device must be assigned to compensate for elongation of the tension devices.
In a yet further aspect of the present invention, the swivel lever arrangement is provided as a driving part for the opening and closing movement of a covering flap provided for closing the storage space for the roof construction. As a result, the swivel lever arrangement has a double function. That is, it controls the covering flap and synchronizes the movements of the two parallelogram linkages. As a result, the swivel lever arrangement can be connected by way of corresponding kinematics or directly with the covering flap.